The Sin
by LiarEpicteller
Summary: Someone from the future, discovers some secrests from the past...
1. Digging Out The Old Accounts

* * *

**_...I know I am weird, and I have no idea about where I find these ideas, but what can I do? She (The Greek Muse Calliope) just doesnt give me a break! She's alwayas in my head, and always whispering something! Okay, now I am trying something different, something mystical... and something very special for me!  
...Please let me know what you think if you have enough time to make this poor girl (me) happy! Really, I need it!  
...Special thanks to Gen, again...  
...and Iown many of the characters, but I borrowed some from McLeod's Daughters and Channel Nine...  
...now I'm shutting up, letting you read...  
...okay guys, here is my precious story, please be kind to it...  
...oh, one more thing: Y.S.I.B.W.Y.S.N.A.A... luv ya two...  
...or whatever it was..._**

**_...stay safe... love,  
L.E.T._**

_

* * *

_

**THE SINChapter One  
DiggingOut The Old Accounts**

_I kept running until my feet began to hurt. It was dark and cold, and looking around, I realised I didn't know where I was. Then I saw a white brumby running towards me. At first I was afraid. But then I realized that he wasn't going to hurt me.._

_I stopped running and waited for him. The white beauty came near me and looked strangely into my eyes. I couldn't move, in spite of my overwhelming want to run away. Then the animal whispered to me: "Find me…"_

"NO!" I screamed as I sat up in my bed, covered in sweat. My dream had affected me so much. I was used to having this kind of dream, but even more so after the death of my mother. But this time it was different. It had seemed more real than all the others. I shook my head and wiped away my tears. No, it wasn't real. It couldn't be.

"Shh.. It's okay, baby. I'm here" Tyler said, wrapping his arms around me. "It was just a dream. Stay calm."

"Thank you for being here, Ty." I whispered as I turned to face my boyfriend.

"I love you more than anything, Anita. I will always be here, baby. Don't worry," Tyler answered, laying me softly back down on the bed again. "Now try and get some rest, okay?"

"Ok," I replied. I was exhausted, both emotionally and physically. I didn't even know where I'd found the strength to sit up.

"Tomorrow is going be a really long day," he continued, stroking my hair.

My mother, Brittany had died two days ago. And now I had to deal with it. I had been living in Sydney to go to University but my mother had lived in Queensland, all alone. I had no other relatives but my mother, so it was up to me to take care of the funeral and the other normal stuff. Plots, burials, headstones. The thought of it gave me a headache. Tyler instinctively put his arms around me, as if he knew what I was thinking about.

We were going to Queensland the next day. I was really lucky to have him around.

* * *

"Where should I put all this stuff, Tyler?" I asked, confused as I was packing my mum's old goods.

"I really don't know, honey. I think we should give most of them to a charity," Ty answered. "Just keep the stuff you really need. The rest will be no use to you."

"Yeah," I replied wistfully. It would be heartbreaking to give my mother's stuff away but he was right. I'd lived without it for so long, it really would be no use to me.

"What about this house, An? Was this place your mum's?" he asked, placing the box he was holding on the ground.

"No. She just rented it," I answered, looking at the ceiling and the walls, feeling my mother in every corner of the room.

"Did she leave you antyhing?" he asked, hesitantly. "In her will?"

"Umm. I don't think so," I replied. "She didn't have much. She did have a little box which she put some official papers in. Maybe if we can find it…"

"Then we will," Ty smiled. "What did it look like?"

"It was just an ordinary, little, yellow box," I smiled back.

Tyler went into the next room and I could hear the rustling of paper and scraping of furniture as he searched for my mother's yellow box. I half-heartedly poked around her bedroom, feeling too overwhelmed to care. I walked into the room and sat down and sighed and listened to Tyler work.

"Is this it?" he called a short while later, not realizing I was right behind him. When he saw me, he lowered his voice and repeated the question. "This the one, An?"

"Yeah, I guess," I replied, stepping towards him. I held the box and looked at it.

"Come on, open it!" Tyler demanded. His face was animated, like a little child who's waiting excitedly for a Jack-in-the-box to pop. He loved surprises.

"Okay," I laughed softly, as I glanced over at him. "But don't expect anything big!"

I opened the box. There were so many old papers in it.

"What are these all for?" Ty asked, looking over my shoulder.

"Let's see," I replied. I took a bunch of paper and set about reading them.

"Bills, bills, bills," I said, throwing the papers in the air.

"HEY!" he shouted.

"What?" I asked, stepping back. I was so startled by the volume of his voice I nearly dropped the box I was holding.

"That's a deed," he explained.

"A deed to what?" I asked and read the document. "A house I suppose. Called Drover's Run!"

"The house has a name?" Tyler laughed.

"Yeah, it must be big. A property or something," I said. "I didn't know Mum had anything like that."

"Who is Charlotte Prudence McLeod?" Tyler asked, reading the other name on the paper.

"Oh," I smiled, as little bits clicked into place. "She's my grandmother."

* * *

**_A/N: I love you Shania, you giveme theinspiration always..._**


	2. Gettin There

**Thank you so much for the feedback girls...**

**xxoo**

* * *

"This place must be in the middle of nowhere," Tyler complained as he hit the steering wheel angrily. "We seem to be lost."

"Calm down, Ty," I replied, sighing. I was hot, tired and angry and just wanted the drive to be over. "Why don't we just stop and ask someone for directions?"

"There is no-one around, An! Who do you think I can ask?" he exploded.

Typical male, I thought to myself. The odds that he would stop to ask for directions, even if there were people around, were slim to none. That just wasn't the male way.

"Just take it easy, Tyler. No need to be mad," I said, feeling a little bit broken inside. Tyler had not this angry, yelling kind of man before.

Finally, we came to an old barn near the edge of the road. We pulled up and stopped in front of it. Tyler got out of the car, approached the barn and called, "Hello, is anybody there?"

I was sitting in the car, waiting and thinking about Drover's Run. It must have been a large property. Full of secrets and dark nooks and crannies waiting to be explored. I was excited about the house and about the fact I might get to see some relatives maybe. An old, dirty man exited the barn. Tyler and him talked quickly, hands moving, their fingers pointing silent directions as I watched them through the glass of the windscreen.

"Does he know anything about the house?" I asked when Tyler came back to the car.

"Yeah," he replied. "It's a half hour drive from here and down a long driveway. But he did say there was no one living there."

"Oh," I answered and offered nothing more as Tyler probed me on the tone of my reply. From that moment I felt a little bit weird, a little bit disappointed. I closed my eyes and found myself lost in thought. What could have happened to the house? Why didn't anyone live there anymore? Did my mum ever wonder about there, dream about it or think about it? There were so many possibilities and through my hazy sleep, I realized I was simply a confused girl who had been hoping to find her family.

"We're here," Tyler called softly as he woke me up from my daydream.

"What?" I asked, groggy and confused.

"I said we're here, An! We're here, Drover's Run, remember?" he asked, laughing.

"Oh sorry," I replied, drifting into consciousness. I looked out the window and gasped. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. It was a gorgeous old house, made of stone. If the builder had been trying to make it look like a proud and majestic farmhouse in the center of a large, once bustling property, he had been rather effective. Broken lattices of wood and trellises of creeping and rotting ivy adorned the walls, giving it an ethereal look. Broken fences stood proudly in lines across the ground and I could almost imagine the horses, cattle and sheep that had once thrived here. Despite it's age and rundown, dirty state, it took my breath away, and caused me to lose my vocabulary and simply utter the word, 'Wow,' as any manner of beautiful thing often does.

"It's really old," Tyler said. "And needs so much repairing, so much cleaning. So much work."

"Yeah, but I don't think it's more work than we can handle. Some cleaning, some minor repairs. No trouble at all," I replied, as I wandered around the house. I refused to let him disillusion me and I could see myself restoring the beautiful house (I already had major plans) and I let him know so. I quickly, inviting no argument continued my spiel. "Lets find a way to get in!"

There were so many entrances into the house but all of them were locked. I was all up for breaking a window or something of the kind. After all, it was my property and I planned on re-doing the house anyway.

"There may be somebody inside, An. We should knock on the door," Ty suggested gently. It seemed that leaving the car had cured him and he was the man I'd fallen in love with.

"Yeah okay," I said, a little unsure. "Let's try that first."

I approached the front door and knocked in quick succession. There was no sound for a while but then I heard someone walking quickly towards the door.

"I've told you people, I'm not selling!" she shouted as she tried to open the door from inside, but she found she couldn't.

"Okay, no one's in. Let's go and break a window," Ty said, after standing silent for a while.

I looked at him like he was strange. This was completely weird. Hadn't he heard the voice?

"But there's a woman inside!" I interjected. Tyler peered at me worriedly.

"What woman?" he asked.

"Didn't you hear? She told us that she wasn't selling the house," I explained and gazed at him with the same expression he had just gazed at me with.

"An, I heard nothing. There is no one inside. What's wrong with you?" he asked.

I shot a glare at him. Nothing was wrong with me. I reached for the door handle, spun it and found it was not locked anymore.

"See!" I cried. "She unlocked the door."

I pushed the door and looked inside. It was dark and humid. A musty smell came from the house and I nearly gagged but rather than wait, I forced myself to glance into the house. All I could see the long hall with many doors on both sides.

"Go ahead," Tyler demanded, pushing me to enter.

"Yeah, okay," I whispered, complaining that as the male he should be the first to enter. After a minute I gave in and took the first step in and called to see if I could find the lady. "Hello?"

"I told you there was nobody, An. Who are you calling out for?" Tyler asked.

I decided just not to answer him. He didn't understand. I guessed that I had had a dream, a vision or something earlier, because as I looked around, I realized it was impossible for anyone to live in that mess.

"Just incase" I replied finally, after Tyler had repeated his question two more times. We were both frustrating each other incredibly.

Just as we were about to go further in the house, we heard a car pulling over. We left the house to see who it was. I could see an angry looking-man through the windscreen and I raised my hand slightly as a half-wave, half-surrender. He ignored me and concentrated on causing as big dust pile as he could when he swerved into his parking space.

"Who the hell are you?" the man shouted as he climbed out of his Ute.


	3. Meeting

"Who the hell are you?" he shouted as he climbed out of his Ute. He was a tall and handsome man and he must have been in at least his 40s.

"I'm Anita Parker and this is Tyler Harris. My Mum left me this house when she died," I explained. It was true, I didn't owe him any explanation but to stop any further yelling, I simply told him.

"Oh, so you must be Charlotte's daughter," he said excitedly.

"No, actually, I'm her granddaughter. And who are you?"

"I'm Alex Ryan," he introduced himself with no explanation.

_Alex Ryan._ I had heard his name before. He must have noticed my expression, because he talked quickly to explain.

"Alex Ryan, Junior. The real Alex Ryan was my grandfather."

"Oh I see," I replied. "Who was your grandmother?"

"Claire McLeod," he said and then glanced at me. "Are you testing me?"

"No, no. Nothing like that," I laughed. "I was just trying to figure it all out. So I guess you are my mother's cousin."

"Yeah, I guess so," he smiled and reached his hand out to me.

"Do you live here?" I asked as we shook hands. He reached out to Tyler who clasped his hand and then promptly let go.

"No, I am your neighbour. We do have some shared fences, boundaries, if you like," he replied. "I'm own Kilarney."

"Kilarney?" Tyler asked, confused.

"Yeah," Alex continued. "It's been my family's property for a hundred years or so. You know, we hand it down from dad to son."

"Wasn't this house your family's too?" Tyler asked, a perplexed expression on his face.

"Nah, not really. This place was belonged to the McLeod's. They were my grandmother and her sister. Kilarney's owner was my grandfather's father," he said and then stopped. "It's really complex. Why don't you come over to my place for dinner? We can talk then, and you can meet my family?"

"Oh, more relatives, sounds good," I replied. "We'll come, wont we Tyler?"

"Yeah sure," Tyler smiled.

"See you at seven then," Alex said smiling. "Just follow this road and turn left when you come to the crossing."

Then he headed towards his Ute, got in and sped away, leaving me no more informed than I had been before his visit. I was slightly comforted to know that I had living relatives, no matter how distant or how vaguely related we were.

"Come on, baby. Let's head inside," Tyler said, as he took my arm and squeezed it.

I didn't respond, just followed him to the big dark spooky house. There was a kitchen on the left, which was really large and hearty. The unwelcoming cold room on the right looked like it was supposed to be a dining room. There was something in there that scared me, chilled me, infact. There was nothing on the table but a photo frame and it was the picture of a young lady on a beautiful horse. The frame was placed to be looking through the window and it seemed like a big deal of nonsense had occurred before it was placed in the unusual spot. I figured, because of the weird position, that there must have been something in front of it before. There were so many dead flowers around the table and yet not a chair in the room. It was really strange.

I stepped quickly away from the room and headed to the next one. It was a study. I pushed the door open and stepped in. As I was walking towards the desk, my vision suddenly blurred. I shook my head in an attempt to clear my mind and saw a female figure sitting right there in front of me. It was the lady in the photo. She was sitting on the desk and the room somehow didn't seem as untidy anymore. I could feel my heartbeating fast and in a state of shock, I just stood there and found myself unable to move.

"Why do you keep pushing me, Tess? Why do I have to wear that dress?" she spoke.

That voice was the same voice I had heard when we just arrived there. The woman who had unlocked the door.

"Because this is my wedding, Claire," the other woman, a blonde and shorter one answered as she was entered the room, passing by me like I didn't exist.

My eyes widened and I was shaking crazily. They could not see me. What the hell was happening?

"An, are you there?" Tyler called from the hall. I ran to him when I saw him standing at the door, then stopped and turned around to face Claire and Tess again. Because I had Tyler there with me, I felt safe and protected. I turned to look but there was nobody in the room. Nobody but Tyler and me.

"What's wrong, honey?" he asked gently.

"Nothing," I answered in a jovial tone. I didn't want him to worry about me. "Nothing's wrong."

"Lets check upstairs," he said excitedly as he took my hand. We headed upstairs together. As I was climbing up the stairs, I looked down back to the study again and saw them standing there, looking right through me. It was horrible. I was scared, scared to death…


	4. Meeting 2

**Sin 4**

* * *

"Do you like it here?" Alex asked, laughing. 

"I think the house is wonderful," I answered.

"Yeah, but it needs to be fixed-up," Tyler said. "We'll be able to handle it but."

"Good," Alex smiled. "It'll be good to see the place restored to its former glory. If you need any help, just give me a ring."

He was really kind and very handsome. During dinner, he had told me that he looked like his grandfather, if that was so I'd really want to see the real Alex Ryan :o)

"Thank you," I smiled back.

It was strange, sitting there in such close proximity with people. Dinners with your closest friends can be awkward enough, let alone dinners with complete strangers, no matter how related we were. It wasnt that it was awkward, because Tyler and I got along with the Ryan's extremely well, it was that, I wasn't used to spending time with other people. It was usually just Tyler and I so it was unusual that a constant, steady stream of chatter was kept up and that the clink of cutlery against china never stopped. It was hard to ignore the smoke billowing from the small candle that was lit in the middle of the table, all things I wasn't used to, but not things I hated. If anything, I missed having them. I'd had them with my mother, and I had them there. I felt like I had a place to belong.

I found myself looking around the dining room as Alex and Tyler struck up a conversation about cars. His house was large, well decorated and warm. It was not like Drovers Run. Although it did feel a little strange sitting in their house. My Drover's Run was warmer than this even in its dark and dirty state. My Drover's Run, I had just called it. I was attached and I'd only been here for a few hours. I glanced up quickly at Tyler who smiled reassuringly, though he didn't know why. He just knew me too well, I suppose, he knew when he had to be supportive.

"What's next?" Alex asked his lovely wife, Kate. "Dessert?"

"Yep!" Kate smiled as she headed towards the kitchen.

"Can I help you?" I asked as I sat up and made a move to leave my chair.

"No thanks, Anita. Its okay," she said. "Karen will help." She gave her daughter a look that said 'get-up-right-now.' Karen grumbled a little but got up and walked into the kitchen with her mother.

Kate was a lovely blonde woman with beautiful green eyes. She wasn't overly talkative but I liked her anyway. Karen must have been 15 or 16. She too was beautiful. Her brown hair went to her shoulders and she had a pair of blue shiny diamonds that twinkled and shone instead of eyes. Her brother Tim was 8. He's so cute, I thought as I caught him looking and smiling at me with his little blue eyes. I fell in love with the freckles on his face.

Alex had a great family, I thought. I turned to look at him and I caught him glancing at me. I smiled and with his perfect white teeth, he smiled back. He seemed happy having Tyler and me around.

"Why doesn't anybody live at Drovers Run?" I asked suddenly.

"It was Charlotte's," he answered. "But she left one day and never came back."

"But she was used to live here. When she was little, right?"

"Yeah, I guess so. Until her father took her to Queensland."

"But why did he take her?" I asked again.

"When her mother died, she had nobody left but him," he stated matter of factly.

"But there was Tess, wasn't there?"

"No no, she wasn't!!" he paused for a while. "But I don't know what happened exactly. I didn't exist then, you know. My father used to tell some strange stories about it, but I'm not sure what actually happened."

Kate and Karen brought the desserts as we were talking.

"All I know about Tess is," he continued. "That she moved back to Melbourne after Claire's death."

"I really want to know what happened," I said.

"Maybe you should talk to her son," he suggested.

"Her son?" I exploded. "Tess had a son? And he's alive?"

"Yes, he lives at Wilgul. Pretty old but he's still alive" Alex laughed.

At that time I heard some strange voices and turned around to see who was there. In the far corner of the room, I saw a tall, charming man with teary blue eyes. He leant on the wall, his hands in his pockets and he was looking right into my eyes. There was something that I cant explain, but I could feel his sorrow in my heart..

"All of us were to blame," he said to me.

"What? Who are you?" I asked.

"You already know me. Now look at me! Everybody lied to me. I had nobody but her! Even my father was not real, and she had always been honest to me. And look what I did her! I KILLED HER!" he yelled and then started to cry.

Seeing him crying really efected me. He was just like a child, too weak and hurt. But he also had a strong and brave side.

"I don't remember meeting you," I said calmly. I tried to smile but I couldn't. I was in too much shock.

"Meeting who?" Alex and Tyler asked at the same time with identical worried expressions.

I turned back to the table and saw everyone looking at me. I felt dizzy and overwhelmed. I turned back to see if the man was still there but of course he wasn't. I realized that I was having another vision.

"I… I, umm," I was searching my foggy mind for something to say.

"An, are you okay?" Tyler asked.

"Yeah, yeah. I'm all right. Sorry," I answered, and turned to Alex again. "So where is this Wilgul?"

* * *

**A/N: Please dont forget to tell me what you think! I need it...**

**Love xxoo**

**L.E.T.**


	5. Goodbye Lover

**CHAPTER 5**

_"I'd never hurt you Tess!"_

_"Oh no!"_

_"I love you Claire. I love you more than the chopper!"_

_"I didn't know you have a brother, Alex."_

_"Claire, please wait!"_

_"I just need one person to tell me "stay."_

_"Alex, what have we done?"_

_"She's gone to Wilgul."_

_"How could you, Tess?"_

_"I just can't look at her face again!"_

_"What?"_

_"We're going to have a baby, Nick."_

_"Tess, NO!"_

_"Nick?"_

_"Claire, let me explain!"_

_"Beer?"_

_"Why? What happened?"_

_"The kids are sleeping."_

_"Alex, what is it?"_

_"CLAIRE, NO!"_

_"What if I kiss you now?"_

_"GET AWAY FROM ME! GET OUT, GET OUT, GET OUT!"_

I sat up straight in bed, sweat pouring down my face. It had seemed so real again.

_"GET OUT!"_

The voice, full of sorrow still echoed in my ears. _'Get out.'_ As I sat there, I wondered. Was she talking to me? It was our first night at Drovers but from the light coming in through the windows, I figured it was closer to morning. I turned slowly and checked Tyler who was snoring beside me in peace. I used to envy him. He didn't hear or see anything. Such a freedom from anxiety… I watched him and even after my little attack, I realized, he was still aware of nothing.

"Come on, this way!" someone spoke from just outside my room. Slowly, I got out of the bed and walked through the door, spun the door handle and slowly opened it.

"Who's there?" I whispered, not wanting to wake Tyler.

"Come on, she's not here," it said again in an eerily familiar female voice. I could hear whispering and then she burst out laughing.. Her laughter echoed down the large hall and I felt a slight shiver. I could only see the staircase from where I stood. I decided to leave the room and face it. When I stepped out, I saw the person's back. Long blonde hair flowed to her waist and she stood, tall but with seemingly bad posture. I couldn't move, ever when I realized it was not a thief but that it was Tess! I watched her go into the room on the right side of the hall, my hearty pounding against my chest.

"You're just having a dream, Anita," I said to myself in disbelief. I looked down and saw my hands shaking crazily. I had to get out of the house. I needed fresh air so I ran. Ran down the stairs, not daring to turn my eyes to look into the room Tess was in. As I ran down the stairs, I lost my balance and I fell, rolling down the last three steps. I got to the bottom and shaken up, but unhurt, I kept running until I made it outside.

It was a lovely morning. It was barely dawn but already the possibilities of the day were brimming and I felt invigorated. Watching the sun slowly make its way up into the brightening blue of the sky made me feel comfortable, if even for a moment. I stopped to catch my breath and felt cold fingers touching my shoulder. Swiftly, I turned around and saw nothing. I couldn't hold my frightened tears in anymore so I let them roll softly down my cheeks.

"Time to go back in, Anita," I whispered to myself, as I started to walk back towards my house, shaking all the way.

""""

I opened the door of study and went in to find Tyler talking on the phone. He covered the speaker with his hand when he saw me.

"An! Where were you? I was worried about you," he grumbled. Without listening to my answer, he took his hand off the receiver and mumbled in the phone. I had barely even had time to open to answer before he was back concentrating on his phone call. I rolled my eyes and headed to kitchen for breakfast.

"What a wonderful morning!" I sang to myself.

I was thinking about the man I would meet that day, Lewis Ryan. He was Tess's son and I was so excited and eager to meet him. I didn't know what he would be able to tell me, but I was hoping whatever he said would help bring me closer to the truth.

As I was thinking Tyler entered the kitchen with a frown on his face. He reached out and took a piece of toast from the pile on the table.

"Have bad news," he said between bites.

"What is it?" I asked, the disinterest in my voice clearly showing. I didn't want to hear any bad news.

"We have to go back to Sydney," he said.

"But, but," I stuttered in surprise. "Why?"

"Collin had a car accident and is in hospital. That's why we have to go back to Sydney. I have to see him," he explained as the worried expression grew on his face. Collin was his little brother.

"But I don't want to go back," I said automatically. I glanced at him and shook my head. I hadn't even thought about what I was saying.

"What?" he spat. It was his turn to be surprised. "But we have to go!"

"WE don't have to go, Tyler. If you have to go, then go," I shot back.

"Fine," he said, adding nothing more to the finished conversation.

"And Tyler," I said to myself as he left the room. "I don't care if you never came back."

I knew he couldn't understand why I was acting this way. In fact, I understood perfectly why he wouldn't understand because even I didn't know what was going on. All I knew was that I couldn't leave this house before knowing what exactly happened in the past. Somehow already, I was strangely connected with the house. It wasn't even that it had become my home. It was that it had become part of me and I couldn't leave without understanding that part of me. Without understanding the past.


	6. Not Only In Your House

**CHAPTER 6**

"You just had to leave, didnt you, jerk," I grumbled to myself as I approached the scary old wooden door of the Wilgul homestead. I was all alone and felt helpless and weak. If only there was somebody with me. Tyler had gone back to Sydney. I wasnt expecting him to call me anytime soon. Nor did I expect he would ever want to see me again and although it hurt, I wasnt planning on giving up and going after him.

The house was small and cute with a lot of character. I liked it at first sight and I as I walked up to the door, I wasn't quite sure what would be waiting inside for me. I stood there for a moment but feeling like a scared fool, I cleared my throat and knocked on the door. I waited for a moment and then turned slightly away to leave when the door opened. Counting my experience, I couldnt be sure if the person who answered the door would be real or not. But when a young man opened the door and smiled at me, his charming green eyes lighting up, I wanted him to be real. And after only a minute, I realized, he was indeed a real human being.

"Oh, hi," I stuttered. "I'm Anita Parker. Is Lewis Ryan here?"

"Yeah," he smiled again. "He's inside. Please, come in."

I walked slowly up the long corridor and feeling him behind me, I hesitated to turn around and look at him as we walked. Without turning around I began to ask some question.s

"Are you his son?"

"No, no. I'm just a friend," he said, and I could hear the smile in his voice. "Mark Weller"

"It's very nice to meet you, Mark," I smiled uncertainly. We'd reached an open door so I gave him my hand.

"You too," he smiled back warmly, accepting my shaking hand. "Here!" he pointed an old man sitting on a couch in a study room.

"Is this Lewis?" I asked stupidly. Immediately after the question left my mouth, I knew it was of course Lewis. I always acted this way in the presence of a handsome guy.

"Yes," he replied, choosing to ignore what I viewed as my stupidity. "If you need anything, I I'll be in the kitchen."

"Thanks," I said, my voice trailing off. I breathed in deeply and slowly lifted my foot and placed it in the room.

"I thought you'd never come," a voice called from the study. "It would be the wise thing to do"

"Excuse me, what did you say?" I asked as I stood in the doorway, puzzled.

"I said nothing," the man spoke standing up. "Who are you?"

"Mr. Ryan, sorry for not calling before I came. My name is Anita Parker. I own Drovers Run," I replied, trying to curb my shaking voice.

"So you decided to find out. Impressive. But don't bother," he said sarcastically.

"What did you say?"

"Why do you keep asking what I said? I said nothing, I wasnt talking," he shouted. He stood looking out the window and then he turned his eyes to me. "What do you want?"

"I… I just…" I stood there willing myself not to cry. "I just wanted to ask some questions about your mother and Drovers Run."

"Who told you that I wanted to talk about these?" Lewis asked.

I prepared to answer before I heard another voice.

"Just bugger off!" I thought it was Lewis at first but then it turned out someone who I couldn't see was yellinh. I tried to ignore them but it was proving harder.

"Nobody, really. I just… I just."

It was hard to ignore such a thing and not only did my answers suffer, but I couldnt hold my tears anymore. There was no reason for me to cry. I had been so strong lately, no matter what. But now I felt like a little child, lost, lonely and needing to be loved.

"When did you buy the house?" he asked, trying to understand why I was crying. When I didn't answer, he got slightly angered and yelled out. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, nothing," I said, sniffling and wiping my nose on my jumper. "I didnt buy the house. My mother left it to me when she died."

"She left? What was her name?" he asked, not fully understanding what I was trying to say.

"Brittany Parker. You probably wouldnt know her. She was Charlotte McLeod's daughter," I answered, calming down slightly.

"Oh yeah. Charlotte! Poor thing," he muttered to himself thoughtfully as he turned towards his chair. "Is she alive?"

"No. I'm sorry. She died 5 years ago. You remember her?" I asked excitedly. I suddenly found myself smiling.

"Yes, of course I do," he answered, giving me an insulted look. "Come here. Have a seat."

………………………..

"I am 63 years old now. I was only 6 when Aunt Claire died. Charlotte was 9 and Gary was 8. We loved to play together. Oh, they really were the good old days," he sighed, lost in thoughts.

"How did your aunt die?" I asked, wanting to know every part of the story. My question snapped him out of his daydream.

"Car accident," he replied. "Oh, it was horrible. She drove off a cliff in her Ute.Some people still think that she drove off the cliff on purpose."

"God! Why would she do such thing?" I asked, completely shocked.

"Because of the fight," he said matter-of-factly.

"What fight?" I asked again. This story was certainly getting interesting.

"I don't remember exactly," he sighed. "But sometimes I still hear her voice in my head. I can hear her shouting, 'Get out!' But not much else."

I wished momentarily I could see my own expressions as he weaved the tale. I loved watching peoples reactions.

"Who did she…" I started to ask but he ignored me and kept going.

"I remember Gary telling me to keep quiet. It was a huge fight. We all hid under the table listening to her mother's good Chine hitting the walls and smashing into millions of pieces. Charlotte, as always, was the bravest. She went inside to ask her mother what was happening. Aunt Claire said nothing to Charlotte. She just left and never came back, you know. She was furious. It's a little blurry but I remember Charlotte crying after the funeral. She was begging to stay with Uncle Alex. He didnt want her to stay mso it seemed like a whole lot of nonsense that even he cried crazily when Charlotte left. I didn't understand it then and I still dont understand it now. It was all complete nonsense. Alex just adored Charlotte and yet he so easily sent her away."

"Do you remember anything else about the fight?"

"Yeah yeah,"" he nodded his head. "It didnt just effect Charlotte's family, it effected mine too.. Dad shouted at Mum but she never shouted back which was weird because normally it was hard to get her to stop talking. But this time, she sat there and she said nothing. It was almost like she was guilty. She left the house soon after, taking Louise with her."

"Taking who?" I asked eagerly. There were so many things I needed to know.

"Louise, my little sister. She was only 3 then," he explained. He seemed to me a bit tired from being asked so many questions. But selfishly, I wanted to learn anything I could from him so I kept asking him questions.

"She left you and your father. Did you ever hear from her again?"

"No, never," he said, sighing again. There was something in his voice I couldn't quite catch. "We didnt want to hear from her. She left us, why should we keep loving her?"

"Your father. What was his name?"

"Nick Ryan," he said, breaking into a smile.

"Okay. Didn't he ever talk about her? Tell you good things, bad things? Anything to make you understand?" I asked desperately.

"He always said she was a bitch and I always agreed with him. But he usually didnt mean it. He always loved her. Always. But he was too much hurt to accept the fact that he loved her, you know. It was hard for him," he whispered. I watched him turn away from me as he put his right hand on his chest and puckered his face.

"Mr. Ryan, are you okay?" I asked, running over to him.

"Mmm… Mark," he forced the words out of his mouth. I ran into the kitchen and grabbed Mark.

"I'm think he's having a heart attack," I called.

"Dont worry, Anita. He's going to be alright," Mark said good-naturedly. He gave Lewis his medicine with ease.

"Are you sure?" I asked, beside myself with worry.

"Yes. Everything's alright. But you should probably just go home," he smiled, holding onto my shoulders. He shook me lightly out of my reverie. "Want a lift home?"

"No, thanks" I said. "You better stay with him"

"Okay. See you later?"

"Yeah, sure," I forced a smile and left the house quickly. I got in the car which I'd borrowed from Alex and sped off home.


	7. You're Not Alone

**CHAPTER 7**

My hands were still shaking when I arrived back at Drovers. It was almost 6 pm and there was a peaceful darkness around the house. I was still worryied about Lewis. Mark had been so calm, I wondered if it happened often. I saw the small smile on Mark's face and knew it would be okay so I began to think about something else.

I found myself thinking about Tyler and why he hadn't called yet. İ knew it was useless because I knew he never would call me and while I wasn't exactly sad about it. I was just a little hurt, that he threw away all those sweet moments we had shared for years..

'Who could Mark be, if he isnt Lewis's son?' I wondered and then an answer so obvious popped into my head, I wondered why it handnt been my first thought. He must be some kind of nurse who had been hired to look after Lewis. No matter who he was, I had to agree and accept that he was hot and he would hopefully be a part of my life. I found myself grinning stupidly as I thought about him.

I shook my head and made my way into the kitchen to make myself some coffee. It had been a long day… I was searching around for a mug and I jumped back as the cupboard door slammed, barely missing my hand. I sighed to myself and trying to stay calm, gathered my thoughts. Cupboards can slam anywhere in the wind, I reasoned. I glanced slowly at the window above the sink. It wasn't open…

"Forget the coffee," I grumbled to myself and headed to the door out of the kitchen. A hot shower would be good.

I climbed the stairs and made my way to the bathroom. Although I wouldn't admit it, even to myself, I was getting really bored in that house alone. and I was getting a little bit scared… I always tried to find some work to do to distract me from thinking about the spooky stuff. The voices I had heard and the visions I had seen seemed to stick with me and move with me everywhere I went.

I stood in the shower, under the hot water, thinking about my childhood memories with grandma. Had she ever told me anything about her family, about the fight? I remembered her telling me how great her mother was with horses. I remembered how much she had adored her mother and how she had been used to love her stepfather once, but then how she had hated him. She had never mentioned about how her mother died, or why she hated her stepfather. But now I had started to understand…

I climbed out of the shower and got dressed. Turning around, I noticed something on the mirror. Some words were appeared.as if someone was standing there writing them.

"_First drawer."_ The words appeared, unexplained and strange.

There was no one around. It was just me. I sucked in my breath and moved closer to the mirror whispering 'Stay calm Anita, just stay calm. It's just a dream' to myself, and wiped the words off. And I nearly jumped when I saw a little girl instead of my own pale, wide-eyed reflection.

"Grandma?" I asked. She put her hand up to the glass, touching it from the other side. I pulled my shaky hand up and did the same. The sudden jingle of the doorbell changed the atmosphere and broke the tense feeling in the bathroom. I turned my head to the bathroom door as a reflex. When I looked back at the mirror I could only see only hand. 'Damn you Anita!' I thought back as I stared at my confused and scared face.

I went downstairs and taking a deep breath walked towards the front door and opened it to see Mark Weller smiling out there.

"Hi," he said, the smile that made me melt plastered on his face.

"Hi. Is everything alright?" I asked worried, palely returning some sort of smile. "How is Lewis?"

"Oh he's fine," he replied. "I just stopped by to see how you were."

"I said 'first drawer,' you stupid little girl," a female voice yelled at me from upstairs. I froze and did not move for a good five seconds. Everything seemed to have stopped in its place. It was grandma's voice, I had heard.

It was so weird to hear someone you knew, you loved and who was ded. But it was her. I wanted to run to her and give her a big hug. But I knew she wasn't really there. I tried to swallow the lump in my throat and looked into Mark's eyes and said nothing.

She yelled again and I ignored her, whispering '_Breathe, Anita_,' under my breath, a soothing, calming mantra that Mark assumed was irritated grumbling, which was evident by his next words.

"What?" I asked, looking at him.

"I said I had better come some other time. When you're not so busy," he said, stepping back. He looked at me apologetically. "I didnt know that you had company!"

"What?" I asked in shock.

"Well, someone is calling out for you" he said, He had assumed that I was taking care of someone and was angered they had interrupted me at that time. He pointed inside the house and then put his hand back in his pocket again and smiled at me. His smile faltered when he noticed the look on my face. "What's wrong, Anita? You look you've seen a ghost?"

"YOU HEARD THAT?" I cried, shrilly. I looked at him and narrowed my eyes. "You heard that voice?"

"Well, yeah. I did," he replied, a concerned and confused expression crossing his face. "What's the problem?"


	8. Letter From Who

**CHAPTER 8**

"Ah. Nothing, nothing…" I shook my head, "Why don't you come in?"

"No it's alright, I can come another time.." Mark answered still stepping back.

"Mark, come in!" I ordered at last, gazing fixedly at him. He grew confused, but then followed me inside, without saying any word.

"Coffee?" I asked walking in the kitchen.

"Yeah okay.." he answered sitting modestly on the edge of chair, "But first shouldn't you go and answer the lady?"

"Actually Mark," I started. I put his mug on the table and sat opposite him, "There is no one but you and me here!"

"Oh!" he smiled, "then you were watching TV, and I thought..."

"No Mark, I wasn't… It was.. It was.." It was way hard to explain such a thing, "It was my grandma!" I said finally, then lifted my head and looked at him to see his reaction. He wasn't looking at me as if he understood yet.. I smiled, when I realized that he has started to get it.. But he didn't want to believe it.

"But you said, there was no one…" he stuttered.

"Look Mark" I sighed, "I thought I had been hearing some voices in my head until you heard them too.."

"Are you serious?" he looked completely bewildered.

"I've never been more, Mark…" I whispered. Then I told him the story while he was listening lost in astonishment. A few hours passed but we were still talking in kitchen.

"What are we going to do now?" he asked after listening the whole story. His question made me feel safe.. the word he chose: 'what were WE going to do?'…

"I don't have any idea.." I said.

"Okay.." he put his two hands on the table and stood up in a constant manner, "How about to look in that top drawer?"

"Yeah alright.." I smiled getting up. But I didn't know where the drawer was.. in which room.. which drawer? So he decided to search for it at downstairs, and I made my way to upstairs..

A few minutes later we met in front of dining room, each one holding something. I had found a letter in the top drawer in the room, which I had been staying. It was from my grandma to her mother after her death. It could have been important thing but unfortunately, when I read it, I knew it was just a sad letter from a sad little girl.

_Mummy,_

_They've buried you today. I cried so much. Everybody did. You should have seen us, or maybe you saw already, I don't know. (Can you see me from there?)_

_Aunty Tess in not here. No one is telling me where she's gone. But I just can't believe that she has missed your funeral. She was here, crying and saying that she was guilty and it was her biggest mistake, and that she couldn't live with that.. But I couldn't understand anything. What did she mean mum? I'm worrying about her. Gary doesn't talk to us. He is in his room and isn't coming out from there. Daddy, well he is a real mess! I heard him telling Meg that your death was his fault. I didn't believe him. Was it really? And also he's telling me that I have to go and live with Peter! Why do I have to do that? I want to stay here with daddy and Garry…and you! I don't want to be far away from you. But daddy wont let me stay. I hate him! So I should stop calling him "daddy" but it's hard!_

_I want you back mummy. Why did you have to leave me? And I don't want to leave home. Please don't let me go! If there is something you can do from there, can you please do it for me? Maybe you can talk to God and tell him not to send me away. He'll listen to you, because I know you're an angel now._

_I don't know if I can see you again. But at least can you send me letters? Are you allowed to do that? I don't know where to post this one, so I'm leaving it here. You can come and take it at night._

_I have to go to sleep now. I will write again. I love you so much mummy._

_with all my love,_

_your daughter Charlotte P. McLeod_

It was really touching.. But I instinctively knew it wasn't what Grandma expected me to find.

"What did you find?" I asked Mark, pointing at the things in his hands.

"Ah, this," he said opening his fist and showing me a beautiful ring. "And a letter too. I think this one is what we are looking for."

It was whatGrandma expected me to find.


	9. Personally Experienced

**It's taken forever to update, sorry

* * *

**

**Part 9 - Personally Experienced**

I was sitting in a car, not knowing how I got there: _What's happening?_ Looking around I saw it was the backside of Wilgul homestead. It was an early hour of morning.. I realized my hands placed on steering wheel. Looking surprised at them, I was trying to figure out: _These are not mine!_ I didnt feel like me also, and I didnt know what the hell was happening. I was totally confused.. and scared! _Where is Mark?_ I was in a sweat and smelling like a horse. My hair was scattered and wasnt seemed so blonde to me.I reached my head and looked at the mirror of the car. And at that moment I met her in the mirror. I couldnt realized what was that first but then I recognised her. _Oh god! I'm Claire!_ Suddenly I heard a pat on the car window, turning my head, I saw a blond tall man, looking at me strangely.

"Are you okay?" he asked, opening my door.

"Yes, I'm fine" I lied. I grabbed the door and closed it again, kept sitting in there. His expression grew worried, and he gently knocked the glass. I slid the window and looked at him, "WHAT?" I shouted. It wasnt something I'd do so often. _What's happening to me?_

"Ah.. just.. I wanted to say that our work is finished here. We can go back!" he smiled, and walked limpingly to the other side of the car, opened the door and got in.

"You look tired" he smiled, "Sorry for asking you to help. It was a long night, eh?"

"Yeah yeah it was.." I replied, totally unaware of what he was talking about.

"But you know I needed a woman's point of view, and I couldnt ask Tess.. Thank you" he continued.

"No worries Nick" I replied, and started the engine to go home. _Nick! How come I know who he is?_

All the way he just talked about the surprise that 'we' had been arranging for Tess… That I didnt have any idea about… When we arrived Drovers, I was fed up with listening to him. Finally he opened the door and jumped out of the car leaving me by my side. _What am I supposed to do now?_ I did the same and got out and walked towards the back enterance of the house.

I was in my house again, but it seemed so different and so alive. But the smell of the house… hadnt changed a bit.. it was the same, I felt good.. Approaching the kitchen door a blonde middle-aged woman appeared.

"Claire! Glad you're back!" she smiled at me. "I was about to go insane.. I dont understand how you can deal with these kids…"

I saw three little kids walking after her, two boys and a girl.. _Grandma!_ "Good mornig mummy" the little girl spoke.. It took a few seconds to realized that she was talking with me, but then I answered her: "Morning honey"

"Where were you mummy?" one of the boys asked smiling.

"Oh I've been helping uncle Nick over Wilgul" I smiled back. I was searching my foggy mind to find something more to say, but the woman kept talking:

"Tess's still in her room. Can you please wake her up?"

"Sure" I said and headed upstairs. _Why am I here?_

I knew it was a vision again, but this time it was so different. I was seeing with somebody else's eyes and it was scaring me to death. _Breathe Anita.. or Claire.. whoever you are!_

I got close to the door and put my hand up to knock it. At the time my hand touched it, the door opened out a little bit, leaving a space for me to see Tess sleeping on the left side of the bed. I smield to myslef, to the situation that I was in.. _I am totally insane… _I pushed the door open completely and I just froze at the spot I was standing. I could feel my blood rushing to my head, my face falling, my eyes filling with tears… _Oh my fcking god!_ I couldnt move, couldnt think, couldnt even cry…

The door hit the wall behind it and the noise woke him up. He couldnt remember where he was for a while, then he saw me. Sitting in the bed, he looked at me and smiled, "Claire!" Then he realized my expression and turned to his left to see who was sleeping beside him. His eyes widened. He looked back at my eyes, opened his mouth to speak but he couldnt find something to say. "Claire… I… I…"

I put my hand on the wall, or I would faint. My body was completely out of my control. It was like someone else got the remote control of me. All I could feel at that moment was the deep deep sorrow she had felt when she saw her husband in her sister's bed. I stepped back. He got up shaking, willing to come near me. But he was so scared and totally in shock. I could see his situation but I didnt think that Claire had realized it then.

"Claire.. I was… we were… oh Claire I didnt mean to do it!" he cried, standing there.

Tess opened her eyes and saw Alex near her bed, naked. She put one hand on he head and closed her eyes, trying to figure it out. Then she looked at me with tears in her eyes, "Claire.." she whispered.

"You dont have to say something" I talked, and without hearing their replies I ran dowstairs with all my strenght. I could feel him running after me. Finally he grabbed my arm in dining room, "Claire, listen!"

"DONT TOUCH ME!" I shouted.

"Claire, I'm sorry… I'm sorry Claire!" he was crying.

"GET AWAY FROM ME!" I pushed him on his chest. He ended up hitting the wall. He kneeled down and kept crazy sobbing.

My body was shaking, I couldnt control the tears rolling down on my face. I was full of anger. I suddenly found myself throwing all the china through the walls. With every plate hit the wall, he kept being startled, and kept saying "I love you" between his sobs.

When there was nothing to throw away, I turned my back and ran out of the house without looking at him. Aproaching to the ute I heard my daughter.

"Mum!" she was standing behind me, looking worried, "What happened mum?" she asked.

I turned to look at her, she was so beautiful. I wiped my tears with my shaky hand and smiled at her.

"Why are you crying mummy? What happened?" she asked again.

I said nothing, opened the door, got in the ute and sped away...

I didnt know where I was going.. I just kept crying and sobbing. Sometimes I couldnt see the road because of the tears.. It was so cold, my whole body was shaking. It was like I was seeing everything from the outside. I could see Tess cring in her bed, Alex kicking the walls as I was driving. I could also see Claire from the outside, see her crying. But I was her at the same time.. It was weird.. I wanted to cry, feeling her sorrow.. She was crying.. And I was her, and I was me.. Was I crying? Who was driving, her or me? _Oh I'm losing it!_ I kept driving until my teras blurred my eyes…

"Anita? Are you alright?" I felt a hand on my shoulder, shaking me lightly. I opened my eyes, expecting to find myself in the ute. But I saw Mark, staring at me worried. We were in my house. I was holding Charlotte's letter, and Mark was holding the other letter.

"What happened to her?" I asked crying.

"What happened to who, Anita? Why are you crying?"

"Was it an accident?" I asked again, shaking my head, "I wanna know!"

"Anita?" he said still looking at me, "What the hell are you talking about?"

"Mark!" I cried, and began to sob in his arms. He held me tight.

A few minutes later, he put his hands on my shoulders and looked at me, "Are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine.." I smiled.

"Good!" he smiled back, "We have another letter to read…"


	10. Move On !

**Part 10 - Move On !**

_Nick,_

_I'm writing this letter to say sorry for all the things I've done to you and our family. Wish I could talk to you face to face, but I dont have enough courage to do that after all those happened.. I know you'll never forgive me and nothing will be the same again. I'm so sorry but I cant change anything.. I know I screwed everything up, and that I dont deserve you. But you should know that I love you so much, I always have. And I love my children with all my being, more than anything._

_But I had to make a decision which made my heart tear apart. I have to go away from here, and I dont plan to come back. It's the best thing I can do now. I want my children with me, but I cant do this to you. I know Lewis loves being here, being with his daddy, that he's more like you. It was too hard but I've decided to take only Louise with me Nick. She's so little and needs her mummy. And her mummy needs her too.. But her mummy needs you most actually. I know.. I know you hate me.. I dont blame you for feeling like this. I deserve it! I understand because I hate myself too.. I hate being in this house, I hate looking at people's faces, I hate thinking about what I've done to Claire, I hate living with this sin… I cant stand if I keep staying here._

_How could I do this? I dont know. I can only plead insanity. Only a truly insane person would ever risk throwing away the great relationship that I've been lucky enough to share with you. I know you wont believe this, Nick. But I was drunk. I was so bloody drunk, and wasnt aware of what I was doing! I though it was you… This is stupid, and you dont have to belive this, but it's the truth… And Alex was drunk too. He didnt mean to do it. It was just a terrible mistake. So please dont hate him Nick. He is your brother, and he's suffering enough! We just realized what had we done in the morning, and it was too late. I swear to god I hate my body, and I hate my mind for letting me do this._

_I know whatever I say, it just wont change your mind. And now you dont want to see me again. Wish we could talk to say goodbye, but I'm not worth your time…_

_I just want you to know how I feel about you. Nick, you have given me a love I never imagined possible. You're truly the most loving and compassionate person I've ever known. My life was so enriched by knowing you. You're such a special person that you've been there for me in good times and bad. How sad that we'll never grow old together or have more children like we planned._

_I dont want to leave you or my family. I need you and love you desperately. I wish I could put my arms around you and feel your passionate kisses always. I never knew I was capable of such love until I met you. It's breaking my heart to know that I have to leave and there is nothing anyone can do to reverse it._

_Just know that in the very short time we've been together, I've loved you with all my heart. And now I want you to have a great life, full of love and happiness. No one deserves it more._

_Please tell Lewis that I love him so much, and that I dont want to leave him like this but I have to. That I'm doing such a thing that I will be suffering about all my life, but there is no other way. Please dont let him hate me Nick! I love both of you more than anything._

_All my love forever and ever_

_Tess_

"Poor Nick and Lewis" Mark said with a low voice.

"Yeah yeah.." I agreed, taking the letter from him, "You know what Mark, you should give this letter to Lewis!"

"Ah, I dont know" he looked at me questioning.

"It's obvious that Nick didnt know anything about this letter Mark. At least Lewis should see it"

He didnt speak, just took the letter from my hands and put it in his pocket.

"It's so sad" he whispered a few minues later, "I mean look at these words, they are all full of sorrow and regret. How could she leave his son?"

"I dont know" I replied. "But I dont think it's somebody's fault. It just happened.. and ruined their lifes for ever, that's all.. It's a sin but no one was guilty"

"So you say that it was the best thing to do.. to leave"

"Yes. At her situation, yes!"

"She was a btch!" he exploded all fo a sudden.

"Maybe you should leave now Mark" I demanded, I was so tired and just wanted to sit in a quite place and think… I didnt have enough energy to argue with him.. about anything…

"Yeah you're right, sorry" he said, "Are you okay?"

"Yes I'm fine, Mark. Thanks for everything" I smiled.

"No worries.." he smiled back, kissing me on the cheek, "See you later"

"See you…" I mouthed, closing the door behind him.

I turned around and headed towards dining room, took a seat and set to think of all those things.. Poor Claire.. It was so hard for her. I knew that because I had felt it. But It must had been horrible for everyone. Just one little mistake, and a family just falls apart.. That was cruel.. How could god let this happen? I hadnt met any of them, but I knew all of them in a way. They were great people, and seemed so happy together in photos.. I felt so sorry for them but unfortunately I was powerles to change what happened.

"I never wanted to be back in here" she said from the far corner of dining room, standing near the door, "They brought me back and put on this table.. I didnt want it.."

I wanted to stand up and get near to her, but I couldnt find the enough power to do that. So I kept sitting there and staring at her with teary eyes.

"You know what, you were right, no one was guilty. It just happened" she forced a fake smile, "I didnt blame anyone. Maybe it was my fault, I shouldnt have gone to Wilgul that night maybe.."

I was speechless, just looking at her, she was amazing.

"Wish Tess didnt leave.. She was finally happy with Nick.." she sighed, "But you know what, she had a good life after moving back to city. I had been so happy for her. And Alex had been happy too, with Stevie. I was so proud of seeing them together"

What kind of person could say such things about people who had betrayed her?

"Grandma was right!" I managed to say in amazement.

"About what?" she asked.

"You're an angel…"

"Oh yeah!" she burst out laughing.. Then stopped laughing suddenly and looked at me serious, "Why on earth are you crying Anita!"

"Oh it's just nothing.. I was.. I am really tired, that's all"

"You're crying because you're tired?" she roled her eyes, took some steps towards me, reached her hand to touch my shoulder, but then she backed, "Are you shivering?"

"Of course I am" I spoke, "I'm talking with a ghost! What do you expect me to do?"

"Sorry for everything" she whispered with a sweet voice, finally putting her hand on my shoulder, her hand was pretty warm, and it made me feel safe. "You should leave this house" then she said, "Just sell it!"

"Are you serious?" I asked surprised.

"Yes I'm serious. You should go on with you life.. You have one right?" she smiled again.

"Well actually I have screwed it…" I grumbled, thinking of Tyler.

"You still have a chance, go for it" she said.. "I have to go now.. Stop feeling sorry for us.. It was so many years ago.. We all are over it now.."

"Hey wait! Tell me, it was an accident, isnt it?" I asked. I lifted my head to see where she was, but she was nowhere to be seen.

"Claire?"

She was already gone… Now it was my turn to move on.

THE END

* * *

**Hooray! It's over!**

**Well i wanna thank everyone who read this story.. It's been a great pleasure writing this, and it wouldnt mean anything if you guys didnt read it )**

**hope you didnt find the end a little soapy.. but as a matter of fact i did... LMAO**

**anyway, stay safe**

**LET**


End file.
